49'er Rally Call for Chairs & Volunteers!, by Dan Rowe

2015 has come to a close and 2016 is now upon us. I want to apologize for getting Tom’s name wrong. Tom Connelly is our ‘49er Chair for 2016. My mistake.

John Ellis has worked to freshen the newsletter to an all color format. For our members, the newsletter will be available online. A few copies will go out to high visibility locations throughout the greater Bay Area. Our intent to to create a visually appealing newsletter that draws new members, gives value to our advertising partners, and continues on as a communications tool for current members.

Over the next few months, the focus of the Board of Directors and Rally Chair will of course be the ‘49er Rally. Tom, John, and I have spent more than a few hours working on the initial plan of the Rally. We have several goals for the rally: continue the traditions of the annual Rally, grow attendance (another 100 people), and provide a top notch experiences for all attendees. Mariposa is the destination for 2016.

The 2016 ‘49er Rally focuses on three items: Experiences, Education, and Prizes. We want to create experiences that attendees will continue to talk about after the rally, Education in the form of Seminars and Skills trainings, and prizes.

A budget is in the works, and will be presented to the Board at our next meeting. Our goal is to pay for three keynote speakers and two educational seminars from well known personalities within the motorcycling community. Additionally, a larger portion of funds will be allocated to marketing the ‘49er.

We hope adding premium experiences and using a more aggressive marketing plan will draw more people to the Rally. This does come at a risk though. In order to make the budget work, we need another 100 people at the Rally.

I’m calling on all club members to help with the Rally this year. Tom, John, and I have kicked around a number of ideas around the Experiences and Education part of the Rally. We need more ideas and the people that are passionate about bringing those ideas to life for the ‘49er. If there is something you want at the Rally and can make it happen, we want your help. Our list is certainly not exhaustive, so don’t think the list is all that can be done.

We also need help in one of our key areas: Marketing. The need for marketing assistance cannot be understated. The demographic we must reach is beyond that which comes from MOA and RA.

Below is a short of list of experiences and education. Again, the list is not exhaustive. We are looking for people to help make these and more a reality for the 2016 ‘49er Rally.